Monday, June 14, 2010

Happy 1 year Blogiversary!! We've Got Winners!

    Today's my One Year Blogiversary here at The Colors of Indian Cooking. Whoopeee! I just ate that cupcake by the way. I split it with Alan and it was really, really good. I didn't bake it myself. I wish I knew how to turn out such a baked good. I know a lot of you can do it and every time I see cupcake posts I'm inspired. One of these days I'll get there.
   Meanwhile, sitting around here with a nice case of the sugars from my half of the cupcake, I've been thinking about the blog. How did I get here, how did this happen?
    I can hardly believe a whole year has passed. A year ago I'd never intended to start a blog. I'd been cooking Indian food for 20 years. My journey to Indian food started in the most unlikely of places, my doctors office.
     I'd been diagnosed with cancer in my 30's. Me! The non-smoking, non-drinking vegetarian who nobody thought was really sick, was really sick. It was pretty freaky, all my friends were having babies..I was having a tumor.
     While I started my course of Western medicine, my doctors suggested other things I might try too. Guided imagery, meditation, something that involved lying on a floor in a dark room with a doctor from UCLA while he played cranked up movie soundtrack music out of speakers placed sound side down on the floor until I was practically bouncing and vibrating from the sound. I still have no idea what that was all about. I heard later that the neighbors had him evicted for noise pollution. I also decided to go macrobiotic.
     Pretty soon I was boiling Kombu and making miso, grating burdock root, and enjoying daikon radish. I was also giving up all my favorite vegetables (eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes) which happened to be of the Deadly Nightshade variety. A definite no-no in my Macrobiotic world.
I also was not eating very much.
       My doctors were concerned. They asked me why I wasn't eating. I told them I was bored. I just was not turned on by the burdock root. I explained about the eggplant and potatoes, and the whole Deadly Nightshade thing. My oncologist just looked at me. "You like the eggplant? Just eat the eggplant! Eat something!" I figured considering my condition he had a point.
     Right around that time another of my doctors mentioned an Ayurvedic diet. He said that his wife was very involved in that and that I might enjoy it. "Ayurvedic diet?" I thought. "What was that?"
"Indian food!!!!" he said.  I loved Indian food. He had me at turmeric.
      In the Indian food department, it turned out I'd scored big time. My sister-in-law is a well known Indologist and has lived and worked in India for years. Of course she cooked the food. Really, really well. She got me started and I haven't looked back.
   I started cooking Indian vegetarian food. I learned from Yamuna Devis' book Lord Krishnas' Cuisine and went on from there. I cooked and cooked and feasted on all my favorite Deadly Nightshades to my hearts content. It made chemo a lot easier for me, I was happy, my doctors were happy.
      Finally, my treatment stopped but the Indian cooking didn't. I talked to people, they taught me things and I kept cooking, day in and day out. I started cooking for friends, then I was invited to cook for people I didn't know, people who wanted healthy, fresh, organic Indian food. Low on oil high on taste.
       So how does this lead to a blog? A year ago Alan and I went to a meeting of something called Wired Sonoma. Paula Wolfert was there and introduced me to the guys that were putting together A Million Cooks. By the end of the meeting, I was doing a podcast. A one minute podcast.  When I discovered one minute isn't enough time to convey a recipe, I figured maybe I ought to start a website. So I did. And that's how I got here.
 
  So, now that you've waded through the whys and wherefors of this blog.....on to *The Winners!!!
*winners drawn randomly
 We have three winners. Two will get the Ceramic Chicken Cookers, One the pair of Game Hen Cookers. Thanks to everyone who entered. I'm grateful for your kind words and your support. Most of all,  thanks to the folks at Early Morning Pottery who made these gifts possible.
  Winners of The Ceramic Chicken Cookers:

1.) Cool Lassi of Pan Gravy Kadai Curry
2.) Janis Tester of Bite Me New England
 and 
Winner of the Game Hen Roasters

3.) Brie:LeGrand Fromage of  Le Grand Fromage

So if the winners will contact me I'll get your earthly address and send these cookers off to you!
 Once again thanks everyone, and I just had to share this beautiful Sonoma afternoon with you.

31 comments :

  1. congrats to the lucky winners Happy 1 year blogiversary......

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  2. Happy Blogiversary and congratulations to all the winners!

    Glad you're enjoying life much more now, Kathy :)

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  3. OMG Kathy!! I just read that you voiced the operator in Hong Kong Phooey!!! LOL I loved that cartoon show!! This is amazing and such a tickle...

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  4. This is such a great post. I loved getting to know you a bit better and finding out more about your culinary journey. Congrats on the blogiversary (and congrats to the winners) :)

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  5. congratulation on the anniversary : kathy. wish you all the best for the years ahead to come.

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  6. What an amazing journey! you truly are a remarkable woman, Kathy- I loved reading every word of this post. Congratulations.

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  7. Great story, great post. I love Indian food and enjoy visiting your blog. You have a gift for demystifying the often intimidating process of cooking Indian food. Congratulation on your 1 year blogiversary. Wishing you many more...

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  8. Happy 1st Bloganniversary to you Kathy and congrats to all the winners :)

    Mighty glad you're feeling so much better right now, and kudos to having such a wonderful blog

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  9. What an inspiring story. You Bloganniversary is truly a celebration. Keep up the tasty work!

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  10. I won! How exciting. Poor you are now going to have to read about 100 ways to roast a vertical chicken. I am really excited to have won.

    What an amazing story you have to tell and you are a great writer. I am so happy we got to "meet" over this medium or perhaps we never would have "met" at all.

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  11. Congrats on a year of blogging. Thank you for sharing why you began this and your personal journey with health and food.

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  12. congrats on a year of blogging and a wonderful blog!

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  13. Wow. Thanks for for sharing. I knew you were amazing, but I didn't realize HOW amazing! What an inspiration you are. Congrats to you and here's to many, many more and congrats to all the winners!

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  14. Happy anniversary Kathy! Thanks for sharing a sad story that you steered toward such an amazing delicious delightful blog. (Maybe the Lakers should think about eating Indian food? Think it might help?)

    xox

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  15. @jemima..thanks! And I am maybe pulling out the big mojo guns for the Lakers tonight..we shall see..something's afoot. bwwaaaaahahahahahaha!

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  16. @Belinda,
    thanks for the good wishes!I'm always wary about sharing the "back story" but I figured after a year of blogging it was time to get up close and personal

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  17. @TheChocolatePriestess,
    thanks, it's amazing how many bloggers I've read and "met" around here got started blogging or cooking around a health issue.

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  18. @cocina,
    thanks so much!I really appreciate everybodys' feedback

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  19. @janis,
    congrats..just e-mail me at kathy.gori "at "gmail.com and send me your mailing address and I'll send it right out. Jerry and Jerry wqill be thrilled to read a zillion recipes of what can do with those cookers!

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  20. @caseyangelova,
    thanks so much for your good wishes.I really enjoy reading about your food adventures in Bulgaria. I can't even imagine doing what you are!
    Impressive.

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  21. denise@quickies on the dinner table,
    thanks, so much. Yes I'm definitely enjoying myself. I started enjoying myself 20 years ago when I decided I could eat eggplant again.

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  22. @salty in seattle,
    thanks so much. Your blog always impresses me. I was telling Paula Wolfert about your burrata
    experience. I love reading about your exploits and of course the photos are to die for!

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  23. @lawyer loves lunch,
    thanks so much for the blogiversary wishes!

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  24. Hey Kathy,
    Congrats on hitting the one year milestone. Congrats on transitioning to a .com. I am sorry that you have cancer. When I read the post, I was teary eyed cause I have lost my grandpa and a few other close family friends to cancer. I am very glad that you are feeling much better now.
    And plenty thanks for choosing me as a winner of the ceramic chicken roaster. I am sure I will cherish it and make plenty of awesome chicken dishes with it. I will send you my address right-away.

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  25. @cool lassi,
    I'm fine! I had cancer 20 years ago..I'm well now. I got started Indian cooking while I was doing chemo way back when.Hope you enjoy your cooker!

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  26. that's a really inspiring story - i'm so glad you are healthy and here sharing your wonderful recipes with us. i know i've learned a great deal about Indian cuisine in the past year. plus i'm excited about winning the game hen roasters! i've got an apricot glaze recipe i've been wanting to try, so this is the perfect excuse to get started! thank you! :)

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  27. Congratulations on your anniversary and sharing your story on how you get started with Indian cooking and later on your blog. You are an inspiration to me. All the best for the future. Happy blogging.

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  28. Happy 1 year Kathy! You are so very inspirational and I will always remember you as my first ever commenter! Your Indian dishes are fantastic and I'm glad you started cooking Indian food (you've been cooking it almost as long as I've been alive! Wow!) Congratulations to your winners. I hope you carry on blogging for many more years to come... Because I'm hungry!

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  29. Happy anniversary! And congrats to the winners:) Thank you for sharing your story with us, we love your blog...

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  30. A truly beautiful post! Happy 1 year...

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